School districts slash employee benefits, study says

Taxpayers group explores impact of Act 10 on school budgets

9:45 PM,
Nov. 12, 2012

Mountain Bay Elementary School second-grade teacher Tara Slagoski works with Jenna Hansen in their classroom on Monday. Slagoski, her teaching colleagues and public workers across the state have been required to contribute to their retirement benefits.

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Local schools reduced employee benefits by $8.5 million in the wake of controversial education budget cuts pushed by Gov. Scott Walker, according to a new study released Monday.

The report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance shows school districts across Wisconsin collectively cut spending on health, pension and other benefits by about $366 million in the 2011-12 academic year as the result of cuts to public worker benefits and limits on collective bargaining. Total school spending dropped $584 million. The study takes an in-depth look at school district spending after the passage of ...